Sunday, November 1, 2015

The construction of a new hotel to be built in the Condado area of Puerto Rico was announced by The Puerto Rico Tourism Company. The hotel will be the first in four decades to be built from scratch in the Condado area of San Juan, Puerto Rico. Demolition of two condominium buildings purchased by the Tourism Company will make room for the new hotel. At a cost of 30 million, the boutique hotel is intended to provide detailed attention to guests, sophisticated rooms and a contemporary style.

The hotel development will create about 375 direct and indirect jobs during its construction phase and 150 direct and indirect jobs during the operational phase.

Construction of the new hotel will begin in 2016 and hotel operations will begin in 2017.

Sunday, September 6, 2015

Puerto Rico is a friendly island to gays and lesbians. In San Juan there are many gay-friendly hotels, restaurants, and clubs. The areas of Condado, Ocean Park, and Santurce are popular with the gay crowd. The beaches at Condado and Ocean Park are also popular. In Ocean Park you can find a number of guesthouses, like Coqui del Mar, gay owned and operated, and it is known for welcoming gays and lesbians from around the world. In recent years the artsy area of Santurce has become popular.

San Juan's gay hotspots include: El Chinchorro, Scandalo, VIP, Tia Maria, Splash Lounge, Oasis Bar Tapas & Lounge, Angelu's, Circo, The Male Depot, and Krash Klub, which has occasional live music and drag shows. For women, Airenumo Lounge, and Cups, which has live music and is a tropical bar. In Old San Juan, near San Sebastian street, in the Hotel El Convento, The Café Bohemia, is another popular spot.

On the first Sunday, in June a gay pride parade takes place in Condado and is preceded by a week of events, and the annual San Juan Brothas gay parade, held each Memorial Day, is an annual highlight.

Other welcoming areas include the town of Ponce, in the south, Rincón in the west; and the island of Vieques in the east, however the local population in these areas, outside of San Juan, is more conservative. Something to keep in mind, is that Puerto Rico is strongly Catholic and state laws are not as tolerant of homosexuality. In San Juan and in small towns, displays of affection between same-sex couples can cause problems.

Sunday, July 5, 2015

The Mall of San Juan opens in Puerto Rico. The Mall Of San Juan is the island's first upscale shopping center, with retailers that are unique-to-market and it includes, the Caribbean's only Nordstrom and Saks Fifth Avenue. In the future the mall will include a hotel and a casino.

The Mall is 650,000-square-feet, and it includes everything from
luxury brands to favorite brands. Here are the stores and restaurants,
that have already opened or will open in the future, at the Mall Of
San Juan:

Friday, May 15, 2015

A large blue marlin beached itself in Rincon, Puerto Rico. There is footage of the large blue marlin swimming onto the shore and swimming erratically in the surf. Beachgoers in Rincon, Puerto Rico, were stunned to see the large marlin, which at first some believed to be a shark. This is an unusual sight, and a rare behavior for marlins, as marlins are almost never spotted close to shore or near these waters. Beachgoers said, that nobody had been fishing nearby and that it was probably sick.

Sunday, May 3, 2015

Caja de Muertos(Coffin Island) is an uninhabited island off the southern coast of Puerto Rico, near
Ponce, Puerto Rico. Native turtles can be found on the island which is
protected by the Caja de Muertos natural reserve. It is believed the
island got its name because it resembles someone lying down when seen
from southern Puerto Rico.

Caja de Muertos is 2.75 km long northeast-southwest, and up to 860 meters wide with a dry forest. The island has a lighthouse, Caja de Muertos Light and four beaches: Playa Pelicano, Playa Larga, Playa Chica, and Playa Blanca. Hikers and beachgoers are often seen in the island.

Caja de Muertos can be reached by ferry from the La Guancha Boardwalk sector of Ponce Playa.

Sunday, April 5, 2015

The island of Puerto Rico is family friendly with many things to do, if you are traveling with kids. Activities from cave exploring and snorkeling, to great beaches and bioluminescent bays. Also, many resorts have children's activities that you can take advantage of.

Things to do in Puerto Rico with kids:

The Carolina Water Park
Very entertaining for the kids, located at the Carolina public beach and next to Isla Verde, Puerto Rico.

Isla Verde Beach
The best beach in the San Juan area, where the kids can enjoy swimming and boogie boarding.

Vieques and Culebra
These islands off the east cost of Puerto Rico, offer some great snorkeling and kayaking.

Bioluminescent Bays
Located in Fajardo and Vieques, is a wonderful and one of a kind experience for kids.

Punto Verde
A kids eco park with nature as the central theme, located in the center of the metropolitan area of San Juan, Puerto Rico.

The Camuy Cave Park
Located in Camuy, is one of the largest cave systems in the world, and one of the most popular natural attractions in Puerto Rico.

Arecibo Lighthouse
Located in Arecibo, the park next to the lighthouse has a museum on seafaring. In the winter, whales can be spotted from the lighthouse.

The Mayagüez Zoo
Great zoo for the kids on the west coast of Puerto Rico. The zoo has a African wildlife park with elephants, giraffes, lions, rhinos, tigers, big apes, and camel rides.Museo del Niño in San Juan
This is a two-level museum for kids. It has exhibits from hurricanes to interactive human biology, and a NASA Space Place with interactive displays.

Condado Lagoon
Enjoy some kayaking and paddle surfing in the lagoon located in Condado.

Sunday, March 1, 2015

Puerto Rico got top place on the list of 25 best Caribbean islands, according to Business Insider magazine. Business Insider magazine selected Puerto Rico as the best island because, it is only 2 hours and 40 minutes from New York by air, the average cost of a hotel room is $187, and the variety of attractions.

Sunday, February 15, 2015

The Punta Tuna Nature Reserve in Puerto Rico, has created hiking trails for blind. The trails feature QR codes where people can listen to information about the reserve. The hiking trails in the Punta Tuna Nature Reserve were also built to prevent blind people from entering areas that are off limits to park visitors.

The Punta Tuna Nature Reserve located in the southeastern coastal town Maunabo, has available recorders and special wheelchairs for people with physical limitations who want to visit the nature reserve in Puerto Rico.